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Author Notes: This crostata is made with pasta frolla, a sweet pastry dough. The dough is light and flaky. Buttery and tender when you put your fork in. The creamy ricotta filling has a lovely touch of tartness from the lemon zest and just the perfect amount of chocolate and a delicious hint of espresso! This can be filled with nutella or your favorite jam. - cake duchess

Serves 8

10.54ounces pastry flour

7.025 ounces unsalted butter

3.512 ouncesounces granulated sugar

1 large egg

1 large egg yolk

2pounds ricotta

1cup granulated sugar

2 eggs, separated

1teaspoon vanilla

1teaspoon ground espresso

zest one lemon

1/2cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Pasta Frolla: In the bowl of a food processor, add the flour and sugar and process a few times to mix together. Next add the butter and pulse a few times until the mixture looks like wet sand. Add the egg and yolk and process a few seconds more until the dough forms (this should be about 5-7 more pulses). Be sure to not overprocess the dough.

Dump the dough from the food processor bowl onto a lightly floured counter. Form the dough into a disk and chill in the refrigerator for about an hour.

Preheat oven to 375°F with a foil-lined large baking sheet on middle rack.

When dough is nicely chilled, remove from the refrigerator. Roll out the dough between 2 sheets of plastic wrap into a 13-inch round about 1/8 thick.

Spray an 11-inch fluted tart pan with removable bottom with baking spray. Gently wrap the dough over the rolling pin and place it over the tart pan; release the rolling pin and let the dough fall into the tart pan.

Press the sides of the dough about 1/2 inch up the side of the tart pan. The rim of the tart should be lined with a slightly thicker layer of pastry than the bottom (about 1/4-inch thick). Cut off the extra dough from the sides and keep these excess pieces to make the lattice topping.

Place this tart pan in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes (or even longer if necessary) to chill.

Roll out the remaining piece of dough to 1/8-inch thickness. Cut out lattice strips to layer on top of the ricotta mixture. Place the lattice strips cut-outs on a rimmed baking sheet in the refrigerator until you are ready to layer them on top of the crostata mixture.

Fold the egg whites, espresso, lemon zest, and vanilla into the ricotta mixture.

Fold in the chocolate chips

Pour the filling gently into the crostata. Flatten it out with a spoon or a spatula. Layer the latice strips in a criss-cross design. Set the crostata in the oven and bake at 325 for about 30 to 35 minutes, until the filling is just set.

Remove from the oven and let cool to room temperature on a rack. Carefully remove the fluted ring from around the crostata and transfer the crostata your serving plate.

This crostata is *amazing*. What I love most about it (besides it being Italian!) is that you can taste the lemon, ricotta, and chocolate. Each are separate and distinct. It's not too sweet, the ricotta is creamy and oh.my.gosh. it's perfect. 'nuff said! (and mine looked just like your picture Duchess :)!)